A Thousand Naked Strangers

A Paramedic's Wild Ride to the Edge and Back

By: Kevin Hazzard

Narrated by: George Newbern

A former paramedic’s "thrilling, captivating" (Booklist), and mordantly funny account of a decade spent as a first responder in Atlanta saving lives and connecting with the drama and occasional beauty that lies inside catastrophe.

In the aftermath of 9/11 Kevin Hazzard felt that something was missing from his life—his days were too safe, too routine. A failed salesman turned local reporter, he wanted to test himself, see how he might respond to pressure and danger. He signed up for emergency medical training and became, at age twenty-six, a newly minted EMT running calls in the worst sections of Atlanta. His life entered a different realm—one of blood, violence, and amazing grace.

Thoroughly intimidated at first and frequently terrified, he experienced on a nightly basis the adrenaline rush of walking into chaos. But in his downtime, Kevin reflected on how people’s facades drop away when catastrophe strikes. As his hours on the job piled up, he realized he was beginning to see into the truth of things. There is no pretense five beats into a chest compression, or in an alley next to a crack den, or on a dimly lit highway where cars have collided. Eventually, what had at first seemed impossible happened: Kevin acquired mastery. And in the process he was able to discern the professional differences between his freewheeling peers, what marked each—as he termed them—as “a tourist,” “true believer,” or “killer.”

Combining indelible scenes that remind us of life’s fragile beauty with laugh-out-loud moments that keep us smiling through the worst, A Thousand Naked Strangers is an absorbing read about one man’s journey of self-discovery—a trip that also teaches us about ourselves.

Interesting but short

3.5 stars.

Fast-paced and interesting memoir. An insider's vantage point into the life of a paramedic in a large city. Hazzard does an excellent job depicting the chaos of the job and the range of situations a paramedic might find him or herself in. His prose is engaging and vivid, and his personality comes through. The memoir feels a bit spare, though, when it comes to discussing his training or the larger issues facing the communities he serviced. I would have loved to see a longer memoir that delved a bit deeper, but obviously Hazzard was under no obligation to mix social commentary with his memoir. Still it seems like a richer narrative could have been realized with a bit more perspective.

witty

I wish there was more! author creates a descriptive image with each story that is told.

Hilarious

This is one of the funniest nonfiction books I have read. It is very witty and gives you a good perspective on what an EMT does. highly recommend

Dark, honest, not written by a coder

Entertaining
True-to-life
Eye opener
Not full of hero bs
Highly relatable for anyone in EMS

Interesting story

Honestly starting as an EMT I listened to this in hopes to look for other stories by other EMT's and paramedics. When he went over the beginning of his experiences in transport I recalled pretty much the same characters at work. One person even told me exactly the same thing as what his first partner told him about transporting patients from nursing homes to hospitals so the nursing home wouldn't look bad by calling 911 for an emergency.

His entire experience was incredible from pinning down a large dog so he can remove an object the dog was choking on to laying in a water bed with a female patient, her toys and his partner to the more sullen part where he was expressing serious emotional distress over his career by being burned out I found his experiences to be altogether incredible.

I would strongly recommend anyone who wants to to join or experienced first responders to read the book or listen to the audiobook.